Leaf by Oscar

Leaf by Oscar

When you first see the Leaf by Oscar cigar, you’ll say “What the…?” and then look around to see if someone’s messing with you. They’re not.

Look, we know the cigar isn’t going to win any beauty contests…until you take off that protective outer leaf, unwrapping it like a gift you didn’t think you wanted.

Trust us–you’ll want this.

Under that Leaf by Oscarleaf, you’ll find a perfectly-rolled cigar with a lusciously oily wrapper. Look closely and you’ll be hard-pressed to find many veins. Take a glance at the foot—tightly (but not too tightly as you’ll see when you light up) and perfectly constructed Honduran long filler ready to surprise you again with rich flavor. Wahoo!

All Leaf by Oscar cigars are handmade in Honduras, banded with organic bands, and wrapped in a tobacco leaf. They are available in Toro (6 x 50) and Double Toro/Gordo (6 x 60)

The LEAF by Oscar Corojo is a sure-fire Marquee that showcased consistent floral tones, ample bread, a wonderful brown sugar note and a creamy smoke texture. There is nothing substantial enough about the LEAF Corojo for it to land in another class. A wonderfully balanced and flavorful smoke.

I was absolutely enamored by this cigar. From the moment I removed the protective outer leaf, I knew it was going to be good. What I couldn’t know was that it was going to be this good. While smoking, I continually forgot to pour myself a cup of coffee from the pot I had just brewed because I was enjoying it so much. The amount of flavors, how balanced they are, how much they “crescendo” while smoking, along with the great construction make this a complete and impeccable cigar. If you’re a fan of corojo leaf then this will easily be a top-tier experience for you.

I thought the Corojo was the best of them all and it is going to be a major success with a lot of smokers. The Connecticut will do well in reaching out to a lot of smokers today and the same is for the Maduro. I can’t judge the Sumatra yet, but I was a little disappointed with the smoke, it was really the least favorite of them all. I will say that the construction on each cigar was terrific and you could not ask for more in that department. If you are ever in Pittsburgh you need to stop by Leaf & Bean and pick some of these cigars up. I think you will be very impressed with the Corojo, but try them all out to see what speaks to you.

The Leaf by Oscar Maduro is an excellent cigar. I found that the subtle honey sweetness that this cigar delivered made it taste very different from many other maduros I have had. This isn’t going to be a cigar that is going to deliver a lot radical flavor transitions, but it is one that is going to deliver excellent flavor. I also loved the way this cigar was packaged with the tobacco leaf around the cigar. I’ve been impressed with what Robinson has been releasing in this series, and the Leaf by Oscar Maduro strengthened how I felt on his cigar line. This is a maduro that I would recommend to either the novice or experienced cigar enthusiast. I’d certainly encourage maduro fans to give this a try. As for myself, this was a cigar worthy of a box split, and one I would certainly smoke again.

While the flavors did get muted in the middle of the cigar, for the most part, the Corojo version of LEAF by Oscar delivered a very nice experience. It was medium to full bodied to start and ended in the low end of the full bodied range, while never having a large nicotine hit. In some ways, this reminded me of the Camacho Corojo, another Honduran-heavy blend (puro, in that case); although this was not as spicy, it had lots of flavor and a very good balance.

This Leaf Maduro by Oscar was really great. Complexity throughout with a nice spice and uniqueness that kept me interested in what was coming next. I really hope to be able to try the other flavors and maybe one of these days make a trip west to Pittsburgh and hang out at Leaf & Bean.

“My first ash lasted beyond the halfway point of this cigar, and the ash never fell again until I ended the smoke. The ash was bright white and heavy…even after falling to the concrete floor it remained in one large chunk and I was able to easily pick it up with my fingers. Very well done!” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)

“Overall, this was an excellent smoke and one that I’d love to try again. I would have hoped for more of the strength earlier in the cigar that kicked in during the final third but was happy with what I got nonetheless.” –Milton (mjohnsoniii)

“A very enjoyable smoking experience. While mild in flavor, there were enough changes to keep it interesting throughout. This might not be a cigar for special occasions, but smoking one in the morning with a cup of coffee is sure to start your day off right.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)

“This was a pleasure to smoke. No real effort was needed to have a great experience, and trouble free performance. The flavors were interesting and pleasurable…with enough change to keep me guessing. This cigar burned slow and cool from light to nub…I hope to smoke another soon!” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)

“The cigar started out very well and I was excited about it until the final third. The plug I hit really took it’s toll on the whole experience, but I do want to try it again to see what the final third is like as I am sure my construction issues were isolated. I really enjoyed the first two thirds and I am curious to see what this is.” –Emmett (rhetorik)

“Overall, this cigar was very good. I would smoke it again, most likely in the morning or early afternoon with a nice cup of coffee or espresso. I think it’s 5 pack worthy and would recommend to someone else.” –Cindy (Ms_CindyLynn)

The more I have been smoking Oscar Valladares’ cigars, the more impressed I continue to get. Valladares is bringing some unique qualities to the blends he produced. If you look the U.S. cigar landscape, there are not a lot of Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper blends over Honduran binder and flller. As one would expect with the Leaf by Oscar Sumatra, this cigar will smoke differently than your Ecuadorian Sumatra + Nicaraguan / Ecuadorian + Dominican blend. I found this to be a welcome change and one that delivered an enjoyable smoke. Given this has a little strength, this is probably a cigar I would give to a more experienced cigar enthusiast, but certainly I would not discourage the novice from trying. As for myself, I found each subsequent smoke of this cigar to grow on me. It’s one I’d smoke again and even go for a box split of.

At first look, the cigar looks like a gimmick and maybe it still is. However, it doesn’t smoke like a gimmick and it is a stick that is worthy of humidor space. Normally I do not like Honduran tobacco in comparison to some other places it is grown, but the Leaf by Oscar doesn’t smoke like a Honduras made smoke. Rich and flavorful with superb construction this cigar delivers.

Firing it up there was a little touch of spice and no typical Connecticut Shade bitterness. There was an incredible smoke coming through that offered flavors of deep mocha and nuts. I would describe it as an ultra creamy smoke. The burn was perfect and the ash was a nice light grey to white.

The Leaf by Oscar (Connecticut) has a different quality to it than other Connecticut wrapped cigars. The heavy dose of sweet and tart and creamy are unique to this wrapper. If my memory serves me well, Connecticut cigars have been only mild earthy flavored. Rarely complex. And rarely full of bold character.

The strength of the Maduro wrapper isn’t an overpowering one, but the Leaf by Oscar Maduro is not a cigar I would give to a new or casual cigar smoker, nor do I recommend it on an empty stomach. I believe you will definitely be feeling the strength at that point. Overall this was a really nice nice, and definitely one I will be having again. I would also like to try the other varieties offered: the Connecticut (maybe, I just find Connecticut wrappers too weak), the Corojo, and the Sumatra. The cigar burned great and even, the ash held up and maintained its shape throughout. The novelty of the tobacco leaf wrapper is not just a gimmick, the Leaf by Oscar Maduro came to play and I think you should let it.

Flavor: After first lighting the Leaf by Oscar Connecticut I noticed some light wood notes along with a pleasant nuttiness, there were also some very faint hints of leather detected. These flavors were predominant throughout the first quarter of the cigar and were joined around the quarter mark by a slight saltiness that was detected on the sides of the tongue.

At the half I really started to notice the flavors picking up. The light wood notes from earlier started to transform into strong wood notes. The nuttiness increased in strength as well and in my opinion became the dominant flavor in this stick.

At the three quarter mark the cigar has remained consistent with strong wood and nut flavors and has also picked up a pepper note.

The cigar finishes strong in flavor with the wood, nut, and pepper flavors. The pepper flavor has increased, but has not been a dominant flavor, keeping this stick very mild but full of flavor.

Strength: Mild

Burn: Upon first lighting the Leaf by Oscar I noticed that the draw was a little loose. I attributed some of this to it being a 60 ring gauge cigar and it had a lot of filler leaf. The loose draw basically fixed itself by the time I was about ten minutes into the cigar. The cigar burned even throughout creating plumes of white smoke.

Buy it again? You bet. I think the packaging and marketing around this cigar is awesome and I cannot believe that no one had thought of it sooner. The flavor profile of the Connecticut stick is great with full flavor but yet a mild strength making this a great first stick of the day for me.

SUMATRA: The start to the Leaf by Oscar Sumatra started out with a mix of natural tobacco, white pepper with some background citrus notes. As the flavor profile developed, the primary flavors became a smooth natural tobacco with a slight milk chocolate component. The white pepper notes were a close secondary note while the citrus notes remained in the background. Meanwhile the retro-hale produced a combination of black and white pepper. The citrus notes will increase, joining the natural tobacco in the forefront. The milk chocolate notes diminish into the background joining the white pepper notes. There also was a doughy quality that surfaced in the background as well. Upon the finish, the flavors become more earthy.

CONNECTICUT: The start to the Leaf by Oscar Connecticut provides notes of pepper, citrus, and wood, shortly followed by some cream notes. The cream and wood notes become primary flavors early on. The pepper and citrus are secondary notes. The flavors switched up about midway through. The cream notes recede into the background joining the citrus. From this point, the wood seems to be a constant in the forefront while the citrus seems to be a constant in the background. The pepper and cream notes vary between being primary and secondary flavors. The flavor on the fine finish is more woody and peppery.

COROJO: The Leaf by Oscar Corojo is quite the flavorful cigar. The two most apparent flavors are floral tones and cayenne pepper. The sweet tones came in the form of a dark and robust toasted vanilla bean. A yeasty bread note added depth to the flavor profile and smoke characteristic alike. The bread gave the smoke a slightly chewy quality. Almond could also be detected which added a creamy texture to the smoke as well. Upon the finish, you will taste nutmeg and oak. The long finish was comprised of a syrupy vanilla bean, almond and oak , easily lasting between each draw.

MADURO: The Leaf by Oscar Maduro deliveres some notes of mocha and pepper right out of the gate. The pepper will be present throughout the smoking experience. You may also detect a honey-like sweetness in the background. The mocha notes remained in the forefront. Some earth notes mix in with the mocha in the forefront, followed by a slight increase in both the pepper and honey notes, but both of these flavors reamin in the background. By the last third, the pepper moves into the forefront joining the earth notes. The mocha recedes into the background joining the honey notes. This cigar will remain extremely flavorful until the end and will not exhibit harshness.